Message to INFODIO readers: investigative journalism, which is what this site does, takes lots of time. Visiting media looking for a quick run down on Venezuela's gargantuan corruption, have the decency to at least cite the source when plagiarising this site's content without attribution (exhibit Reuters here and here, exhibit Bloomberg here, exhibit OCCRP here). To all readers, do the right thing, the honest thing: support independent investigative journalism, help us expose rampant corruption. Note added 28/06/2021: impostors are using this site's former editor's full name, and a fake email address (alek.boyd.arregui@gmail.com) to send copyright infringement claims / take down requests to web hosting companies (exhibit Hostgator). The attempt is yet another effort paid by corrupt thugs to erase information about their criminal activities. Infodio.com has no issues with other websites / journalists using / posting information published here, so long as the source is properly cited.

The loot of PDVSA: missing document on Rafael Ramirez's $4.5BN money laundering scheme appears

This site has been under a relentless DDoS attack since 17 July (peaking at over 25 million requests per second), apologies to our readers. While measures to mitigate it are taking place (not thanks to AWS, source of attacks), we have kept ourselves busy investigating corruption. In earlier posts, we exposed how Luis and Ignacio  Oberto, with the help of Alejandro Betancourt and Nervis Villalobos, set up a $4.5 billion money laundering scheme at PDVSA. Rafael Ramirez was central to it, and his approval was a must. We had the letter showing this, but we didn't have the one addressed to him (by Obertos' proxy Juan Andres Wallis Brandt), dated just six days prior, asking Ramirez to consider their "working capital financing proposal". It didn't take long to Ramirez to approve. Many money laundering thugs around the world have had their comeuppance on much less than this, yet Ramirez, the Obertos, Villalobos, Betancourt, and Wallis Brandt keep living large in different jurisdictions, including the U.S. where this case is meant to be under criminal investigation, totally unencumbered by law enforcement.

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